Ban hai!

Finally something triggered me to write about it.

Had been many days since I spoke to him. That human need to communicate took me to the Cyber Cafe. I was relieved that I had this one near my home. It offered international calls at rates less than normal ISD rates. And it was reliable as well. Specially, keeping in mind the place I was calling to and who (me) was calling.

I am used to the curious and often suspicious looks evoked when I ell them where I am calling. Usually I avoid talking to the ISD booth owners fearing any weird and unwanted questions from them. Although I am not obliged to answer them.

I approached this one after a fairly long time. Initially I had planned to make a call to my cousin in Germany. Two attempts to call her reached her voice mailbox giving me a chane to 'utilise' my money to call where I had actually been n to. So I took that opportunity, I saved money, to call up my friend in Karachi.

I hurridely dialled the phone no. as I didnt need to look into my Phone conatct book. The bell rang on the other side making me even more restless. Before I could hear a 'Hello' from Karachi, I heard alarmed human voices in the adjoining room. I could clearly hear one man saying ' Yeh kaha dial kiya hai?' (Where is this no. being dialled to'?)

The lazy ISD owner, as I supposed him to be the one, suddenly turned around his chair without getting up and peeped to his left. I could see his face again, now. Another person, probably his assistant, came rushing and stood beside him with a register and a pen in his hand. Probably he kept the records. The lazy man had a kind of surprised and I wouldn't mind to say, worried look on his face. He asked me firmly, 'W I was calling?'. The look on his face immediately made me understand the gravity of the situation. I had been used to suspicious looks but this was more than that. It was fear. And I was prepared for it.

After initial few m of tension I immediately gave a confident reply, pretending an inncoent look, 'Karachi'.

'Vaha call nahi kar sakte.' (You can't call there) replied the same man in an authorotative manner. He finally got up. I was prompted to ask. 'Why?' He just said 'Ban hai.'

I am still not sure whether he i 'Ban hai' or'Mana hai' in his low voice but both had the same effect on me.

For years I had believed the hostility with our nieghbour was limited to the political or bureaucratic class. At max. it only boiled down to apolitical bodies promoting people to people contact.

Introspecting later on about that I wondered if this was our new form of 'home-security' or a fear syndrome gripping our nation?

But for the first time ever it hit me personally, individually. I was stopped. Not allowed.

The tone of 'Ban hai' actually asked me, 'Oh, so you want to call there? what for? how can you have any contact there? only terrorists live there?'

Date: Dec.25,2008